No one could have imagined that deep within the pit, another world existed.
In the underground space, no more than twenty to thirty zhang in size, countless specks of light filled the area, each containing pure spiritual energy and vitality.
The stone walls on all sides were covered with dense formation patterns, generating frequent illusions, depicting flying goddesses, white deer carrying ganoderma, and spirit turtles offering longevity, among other scenes.
And amidst that brilliant radiance, a middle-aged Taoist priest with a gaunt face sat cross-legged in mid-air, a lifelike lotus throne formed from countless formation patterns beneath him, flowing with runes.
A serene aura silently permeated the entire underground cavern.
RUMBLE!!!!!!!
As Ji Yuan observed, a surge of potent qi and blood erupted. He then saw the old man, raising his fist and striking towards the Taoist priest in mid-air.
There was no doubt that such a punch, infused with vigorous qi, could easily shatter a small mountain peak!
However, his fists, possessing such immense power, were blocked by streams of light. Innumerable runes intertwined to form a barrier of light, and no matter how the old man's qi and blood, like monstrous waves, battered against it, not a single inch could be breached.
"You actually found this place..."
On the lotus throne formed by the formation patterns, the middle-aged Taoist priest slowly opened his eyes, his gaze falling upon them without any expression.
Just a single glance made the old man from the Shanhe Gang tremble as if struck by lightning. Even the qi protecting him almost dissipated.
"Since you have come, leave your life behind."
The middle-aged Taoist priest spoke, his voice like rolling thunder.
Without any apparent movement, runes condensed around him, transforming into palm-sized flying swords that shot towards the old man, some five to six zhang away.
These seemingly ordinary rune-made flying swords flashed and arrived instantly, capable of easily piercing through qi and blood, as if nothing in the world could resist them!
Seeing this, the old man let out a cold snort. His qi and blood retracted, causing his physique to gleam with a layer of precious light, with powerful fluctuations surging within him.
CLANG CLANG CLANG!!!!!!!
Countless sparks flew. The old man, at this moment, was using his bare fists to smash away the incoming flying swords!
His iron fists seemed to possess supreme power, radiating a metallic luster. The sharp flying swords did not even leave a white mark upon them!
"A bit interesting..."
The middle-aged Taoist priest spoke again, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
The next moment, he slowly exhaled. The surrounding specks of light surged towards him, instantly forming a short sword, about an arm's length and two fingers wide.
Upon its blade, besides the abundant vitality flowing, an astonishing sharpness emanated.
With a soft sound, the short sword broke through the air and instantly appeared before the old man, mere inches from his brow.
Ji Yuan could even see that before this sword fully descended, the old man's long hair was already flying backward, and his long robe was torn by countless sword energies.
Faintly, his physique, as hard as spirit ore, was even covered in dense, tiny bloodstains!
"Scram!!!"
The old man's hair and beard bristled. He suddenly punched forward.
Behind him, torrents of qi and blood surged forth, transforming into a bloody ferocious tiger!
The tiger, several zhang large, roared, and the surging airflow swept in all directions, exuding the might of a tiger roaring in the mountains.
And the old man, amidst the roar of the tiger behind him, his aura suddenly surged by several tenths. With a furious shout, he seemed about to shatter mountains and rivers with his iron fists!
CLANG!!!
The next moment, sparks capable of burning through metal and iron erupted. Under the old man's punch, the short sword condensed from the middle-aged Taoist priest's breath instantly shattered!
However, seeing this, the old man seemed unsatisfied. He continuously swung his iron fists, pounding the already shattered short sword into countless fragments!
After seven or eight breaths, when the short sword, formed from innate essence, collapsed, he finally stopped, appearing somewhat unfulfilled.
He walked forward step by step, the bloody giant tiger following behind him. A potent aura swept out, pushing back the light barrier before him.
"Mere ants dare to offend?"
The middle-aged Taoist priest's expression turned cold. More rune-made flying swords condensed beside him.
A flow of Dao charm permeated the air. Countless rune-made flying swords shot forward, each containing the power of a full-strength strike from a cultivator at the peak of the second realm!
Facing such a large number of flying swords, even the formidable old man found it somewhat strenuous. Under that peculiar Dao charm, he couldn't help but retreat by about a zhang.
The two sides suddenly fell into a stalemate. One side continuously condensed rune-made flying swords, while the other met them with his fists.
However, if this continued, the old man would eventually be exhausted and perish. The methods employed by the opponent did not utilize any magic power at all, but directly borrowed the power of heaven and earth!
More accurately, it was the spiritual energy and vitality accumulated in this place for thousands of years!
"Perhaps he doesn't *not want* to use magic power to attack, but simply has no magic power at all?"
Li Buwei raised an eyebrow and muttered thoughtfully.
Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan's eyes flashed. He immediately grasped the crucial point.
A bold idea suddenly arose in his heart. Although there was no concrete proof, this thought rapidly expanded.
He subconsciously looked up and saw that the entrance to the deep pit above had been buried by massive rocks from the earlier several streams of light.
However, powerful fluctuations still penetrated from above, as if the deep hole could be opened again at any moment.
It was likely that the third-realm cultivators outside had already discerned something. While preventing 'Xu Qin' and 'Xiaoyao Sanren', they were also attempting to break in.
Looking back at the old man, who was gradually falling into a disadvantage, Ji Yuan immediately realized that time was running out!
He had to take a gamble, as much as possible, before the old man was defeated or before the people outside broke in. Otherwise, not only would he gain nothing, but their lives might not be safe.
"Let's gamble?"
Ji Yuan turned and looked, his question carrying a decision already made.
Upon hearing this, Li Buwei nodded heavily almost without hesitation.
At this juncture, the only thing they could do was place their complete trust in each other.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan took a deep breath, then opened his mouth and exhaled. Amidst the flowing light, a small pagoda, only a few inches in size, instantly appeared.
He hid behind the large rocks, not daring to be too obvious, fearing he would attract the attention of the middle-aged Taoist priest. Those overwhelming rune-made flying swords were not something the two of them could easily resist.
As his mind moved, the Xuan Tian Spirit Devouring Pagoda began to rotate, and a spirit-devouring force quietly spread out.
Silently, the specks of light in the underground cavern converged, all being swallowed by the small pagoda, accumulating within its layers.
In just five or six breaths, Ji Yuan's spirit suddenly lifted. He could feel that these specks of light contained immense vitality comparable to the power of life.
Even a small number of specks of light caused the aura of the Xuan Tian Spirit Devouring Pagoda to slightly rise. Although very subtle, it could be clearly felt that the demonic core of the Crimson Feather Evil Tiger at its core was slowly being replenished.
He quickly formed hand seals, not hesitating to expend the vast spiritual energy accumulated within the pagoda, and forcibly activated three unrefined restrictions.
After expending nearly half a quarter of an hour and spiritual energy equivalent to five or six low-grade spirit crystals, the small pagoda, only a few inches in size, immediately released a powerful suction force.
"Go!"
Ji Yuan pointed his hand and immediately unleashed a stream of magic power, which transformed into runes and entered the Xuan Tian Spirit Devouring Pagoda!
The small pagoda, about a few inches in size, immediately flew out. It spun in mid-air, casting down endless streams of light.
The surrounding specks of light immediately surged uncontrollably, being completely swallowed into the small pagoda. In just over ten breaths, the area became brilliantly illuminated by spiritual light.
"Mere ants! How dare you!"
A furious roar suddenly echoed in the underground cavern.
The middle-aged man, who had been sitting on the lotus throne formed by formation patterns, finally showed a clear change in expression.
He abruptly turned his head and, upon seeing the specks of light accumulated over thousands of years being devoured by a small pagoda only a few inches in size, as if real flames ignited in his eyes.
At this moment, the middle-aged man let out a low roar without hesitation. More rune-made flying swords condensed beside him and then shot towards the location of the small pagoda.
Seeing this, Li Buwei's heart leaped into his throat. He was already holding several grayish-brown iron balls in his hand, ready to throw them at any moment!
However, at this very moment, a figure appeared before them. It was the old man from the Shanhe Gang!
He met the incoming attacks with his iron fists, and the giant bloody tiger several zhang large behind him roared, using its body to block the assault of the rune-made flying swords!
"Hahahaha! Young friends, feel free to proceed!"
The old man let out a hearty laugh. "As long as I, this old man, am alive, no flying sword will pass!"
How could this third-realm martial artist not see that the actions of the two behind them must have touched upon the core of the middle-aged Taoist priest, otherwise, he would not have been so enraged.
When the two engaged in combat, the other party had maintained an expressionless demeanor, at most a hint of coldness.
But now he was losing his composure over two second-realm cultivators. Clearly, something extremely important had been discovered by these 'young cultivators'!
And as it turned out, after extensive analysis, Ji Yuan had guessed that 'Xu Qin' and 'Xiaoyao Sanren' outside were likely just a smokescreen.
The true intention was likely to revive the middle-aged Taoist priest before them!
If not, why would he be hiding?
Furthermore, the specks of light filling this place contained astonishing spiritual energy and vitality, which must have been prepared by him for his own revival over thousands of years!
Coupled with the peculiar six-colored golden cores of the individuals outside, it was not difficult to infer that this middle-aged Taoist priest was the one who had orchestrated all of this.